My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

The design of the hotel entrance was rather unique. Babbling streams flanked the main doors, flowing in an embracing curve. It was clear the designer had been aiming for a poetic, picturesque feel. The water, just a few fingers deep, was filled with countless river pebbles.

To the side, a little girl was crouching in a corner. She looked to be about three or four years old, with chubby little cheeks and her hair tied in cute braids.

After seeing her colleagues off, Jiangg Ning stood at the hotel entrance and let out a long sigh of relief.

There were several talented people in the auditing department. A few days ago, Jiangg Ning had heard some internal gossip, and after a moment of quick thinking, decided to win them over on Chen Yuan’s behalf. She didn’t want his position as chief director to be nothing more than an empty title, with people flattering him to his face while secretly complaining behind his back.

Jiangg Ning turned her head, and the crouching little girl by the entrance caught the corner of her eye. She watched her curiously for a moment. The three- or four-year-old was quietly piling up river pebbles to block the stream, and she had already built two small dams.

Having had a little to drink, Jiangg Ning felt a bit dizzy. The designated driver she’d called hadn’t arrived yet, so she could only wait there for a while.

Feeling a bit bored, Jiangg Ning crouched down to talk to the little girl.

"Little one, are you here all by yourself? Where did your mommy go?" she asked curiously.

Jiangg Ning’s voice was very gentle and not at all scary. Plus, with such a pretty lady striking up a conversation, the little girl looked up at her for a few seconds.

"My mommy is at work. I’m waiting for her to get off," the little girl replied, blinking her big, dark grape-like eyes.

"You’re so well-behaved," Jiangg Ning said, holding out her hand. She seemed touched by the child’s innocence, or maybe she was just in a good mood from the alcohol. "How about we shake hands? It looks like I’ll be waiting here with you for a while. You can keep me company."

The phone screen in Jiangg Ning’s hand showed that her designated driver was still twenty minutes away.

It wasn’t actually cold outside. A gentle breeze was blowing, but she felt a little warm instead. The alcohol had left her delicate face flushed red.

’There was something she rarely told anyone, not even her own sister, Jiangg Yao. The truth was, she adored children, and she liked little girls just a little bit more than little boys. Sometimes she would fantasize about having a beautiful baby girl, watching her grow up, dressing her like a little princess, and spending all their free time traveling together. What a happy life that would be.’

Jiangg Ning had once seen a question somewhere: "If you could go back in time and meet your childhood self, what would you say to her?"

She had thought about it for a long time, but in the end, she realized there was nothing to say.

’Her childhood self had been so pitiful. She had only focused on studying hard and doing everything perfectly, never getting to enjoy the simple moments of being a kid or the happiness of being doted on by adults.’

’A person spends their whole life making up for their childhood. That saying was absolutely right.’

The crouching little girl clearly didn’t understand why this pretty lady wanted to shake her hand. She hesitated for a moment, not extending her own hand. Instead, she lowered her head, her gaze locking onto Jiangg Ning’s feet, and she stared without blinking.

Of course, the little girl wasn’t looking at her feet. What she was really interested in were the "bling-bling" sparkling high heels.

Jiangg Ning noticed her gaze, looked down, and angled the top of her foot.

"You like them?"

"Uh-huh."

"You’ll have a pair too when you grow up. They are very pretty, but I have to tell you, you won’t be happy when you wear them."

"Happy? Why?" Her childish voice was full of confusion.

"Because they hurt, and you have to practice for a long time to walk elegantly in them. I have a sister, and she still rarely wears high heels. And the reason you won’t be happy... well, it’s because no matter how beautiful something is, if you’re not wearing it for the person you like, it won’t bring you joy... But you can go ahead and touch it."

At her age, the little girl naturally couldn’t understand what Jiangg Ning was rambling on about. Only the last few words registered: "you can go ahead and touch it."

The little girl immediately reached out her hand, stroking the smooth, sparkling little diamonds on the shoe.

She ran her fingers over them again and again, completely focused.

Watching the girl’s actions, Jiangg Ning grew a bit confused. She furrowed her brow in thought for a moment, then glanced back at the pile of river pebbles. Suddenly, it dawned on her.

"You don’t just like shiny little rocks, do you?" Jiangg Ning asked, then chuckled in spite of herself. "I thought... I thought you... These are just fake rhinestones."

Her laughter rang out like silver bells. Jiangg Ning felt a little foolish.

’That’s right. A child this young wouldn’t understand concepts like beauty. Shiny things that sparkle under the light are far more appealing.’ And here she’d been, going on and on with her big, sentimental speech. She was so embarrassed by her own antics that she buried her face in her arms and couldn’t stop laughing.

"I can’t believe myself."

Alcohol really could make a person happy, especially in that tipsy state. Jiangg Ning felt an inexplicable buzz, her nerves seeming to dance. The fact that she and her own sister liked the same man, the fact that she was stuck by Chen Yuan’s side working herself to death, the fact that the person she liked had gone off to Tokyo and left her behind in Linzhou...

She pushed all those thoughts far, far away. She didn’t want to think about them anymore.

The evening breeze was intoxicating, and the city lights were just beginning to glow, painting a beautiful urban scene.

’Life is just about picking up the pebbles in front of you and stacking them one by one. Why worry about so many other things? Everything can just wait until tomorrow morning...’

Jiangg Ning lifted her chin, a loose strand of hair slowly drifting across her temple. She tilted her head to look at the light above, then lowered her gaze, about to chat some more with the little girl. But when she did, she noticed the child’s eyes were no longer on her, but were fixed on something right beside her.

Jiangg Ning froze and followed the girl’s line of sight.

"What’s the matter? You want my tanghulu? Can’t do that... I bought this for the pretty lady."

A gentle, familiar voice sounded by her ear, and Jiangg Ning’s expression faltered.

"I can’t give it to you even if you’re drooling over it. I only bought one. If I give it to you, she won’t have any, and then she’ll get angry. Got it, little one?"

Jiangg Ning’s expression instantly grew complicated. The smile from moments before vanished as she pressed her lips together and looked away.

"When did you get back?"

The person who had crouched down beside her was none other than Chen Yuan, just back from Kyoto.

No one but him could have caused such a dramatic and complex shift in Jiangg Ning’s expression in a matter of seconds.

"I just arrived. I sent you my itinerary before I left, but you ignored me."

"Is that so?" Jiangg Ning raised an eyebrow. "I was too busy. I didn’t have time to look... After all, you went off to Tokyo by yourself and dumped everything on me."

Chen Yuan could, of course, hear the displeasure in her tone.

Normally, Jiangg Ning wouldn’t have been so blunt. But perhaps today she didn’t feel like hiding her feelings, and the resentful words just slipped out. Words can be sharp, easily wounding a person’s heart.

’Of course, Chen Yuan knew she was upset, and he knew he was in the wrong. But he couldn’t just drop things with Jiangg Yao. He’d always known he owed Yaoyao. He was perpetually caught in the middle, and it was exhausting. But he wasn’t in the mood to sigh. The moment he saw Jiangg Ning, any weariness he felt had vanished.’

’At least Ningning and Yaoyao were both still by his side. They hadn’t left.’

’For him, this was the best possible outcome. What more could he ask for?’

"YAAAWN~" Chen Yuan let out a yawn so big it squeezed tears from the corners of his eyes. "Give me a break. I rushed back as fast as I could. I haven’t slept in over ten hours because I was worried about you being all alone here in Linzhou. Don’t go breaking my heart with such harsh words now."

"Oh, you poor thing," Jiangg Ning said, narrowing her eyes at him. She tilted her head back, her pale neck catching the light, revealing the faint lines of her veins. Her skin seemed to grow even fairer as night fell, glowing with a soft, indescribable luster. "According to your itinerary, you should have been in Linzhou by noon. Even if you hit traffic, there’s no way it should have delayed you until nine p.m."

"Hey, didn’t you just say you didn’t look at my itinerary?" Chen Yuan asked in surprise.

"I—"

"Ah, Ningning, you’ve learned how to lie now, have you? You’ve clearly read it I-don’t-know-how-many-times, just waiting for me to come back for you."

"Pah! Who wanted you to come back? I was just worried people would find out you were gallivanting about right after taking on your new position. You have no sense of responsibility at all," Jiangg Ning grumbled, a unique sort of cuteness to her complaints. "Having a boss like you is the absolute worst."

"Then is having a boyfriend like me the worst, too?"

"Exactly!" Jiangg Ning shot to her feet. She saw a designated driver on a small electric scooter approaching in the distance and waved. "Over here!"

The driver hurried over, helmet on and rubbing his hands together, and asked which car was hers.

"You can go on back. I’ll cancel the order in a second," Chen Yuan said hurriedly. "I’ll still pay you the full amount."

As he spoke, Chen Yuan took out his phone to scan a QR code and transfer the payment.

"Why are you canceling my driver? How am I supposed to get home? I’ve been drinking, so I can’t drive," Jiangg Ning said, grinding her teeth. She really wanted to kick him.

"But you have me."

"And what good are you? It’s not like you’ve ever been useful."

"Sorry about that, man. Just a little lovers’ quarrel, you know how it is," Chen Yuan said, flashing a brilliant smile and patting the driver’s shoulder. "The money’s been sent."

"I get it. I totally get it." Seeing the money come through, the driver became extremely understanding. He hopped on his little scooter and zipped off in a flash.

After he left,

Chen Yuan jogged up the steps and took Jiangg Ning’s purse. He’d just been called out for not fulfilling his role as a boyfriend, so now it was time for him to start.

’Hadn’t he rushed all the way back from Tokyo for this very woman? The one who was sulking but refused to admit it, so adorable it made him want to lean in and whisper sweet nothings until she smiled.’

The more Chen Yuan looked at Jiangg Ning, the more beautiful he found her.

"What are you grinning about?" Jiangg Ning was so exasperated she almost laughed.

"Here’s your tanghulu. I bought it on the way."

"You’ve certainly got a lot of free time."

Jiangg Ning looked at the tanghulu that had been thrust into her hand. After a moment’s hesitation, she tore open the wrapper.

Strawberries, tangerines, and hawthorn berries, all coated in a glistening layer of sugar, shimmered with an amber glow.

...